World Cup

The 20th World Cup with be held in Brazil in June of 2014. This is the first time that a South American nation has hosted the cup for over 30 years, a fact that will likely be demonstrated by the soccer passion of the natives. Brazil is feverishly preparing for the influx of fans by cleaning up crime and upgrading its infrastructure to support the largest global sport event in the world.

32 teams will qualify for the World Cup In 2014. As the host nation, Brazil will automatically qualify. The rest of the teams have been split into 6 regional groups (loosely based around the continents) and qualify based on performance within these groups in order to fill the remaining 31 open spots in Brazil, the groups are detailed below:

South America

Africa

Asia

North, Central American and the Caribbean

Oceania

World Cup 2014 Stadiums

Twelve stadiums will be either built, re-built or upgraded for the 2014 world cup. The final will be held in Rio de Janeiro, at the Maracanã stadium is front of a capacity crowd of 76,935. This was also the stadium that hosted the last world cup final to be in Brazil back in 1950.

Format of the World Cup 2014 Finals

The qualifying teams will be split into 8 groups, each comprised of 4 national teams. The first 'round robin' phase of the tournament will result in each team playing three games within their group and accumulating points for a win or tie. At the end of the first round, the winner and runner up (after statistical tie-breakers) will progress to the next prestigious 'Round of 16'. During this round, a single elimination phase will determine the eventual winner of the world cup in Rio.

World Cup Travel

A trip to Brazil to witness the vibrancy, competitiveness and atmosphere of the 2014 world cup should be on every soccer fan's bucket list, especially those wanting to see a memorable game. Specialty tour operators are offering tour packages including flights, hotels, internal travel and game tickets. Book early to take advantage of discounts and offers.